Just up the street from Janice and Norm was the Port Clyde Baptist Church. My mother had always been a Unitarian-Universalist, but the proximity of the Baptist church was too hard to resist. Plus the church provided social outlets, such as yoga classes and the PC Baptist Sewing Circle. Handmade dolls were part of their annual fundraiser. I believe that my mother was instrumental in the design of the fisherman, his wife and mermaid, which were a group project to be sold at the annual bazaar.
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| This fisherman has a schooner tattoo on his chest. |
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| The fisherman's wife |
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The mermaid
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Another fish couple. They were all different.
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The crowd lined up outside the church waiting for the door to open.
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It was necessary to limit quantities - 2 dolls per customer.
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Over the years these dolls became a very hot item, and would sell out. The group also made quilts as a fundraisers, with each member stitching a square that had been designed by Janice. Each year had a different theme. One year featured notable buildings in the area, another year a different local dog was on each square. I believe that the sailboat quilt is on display at the Marshall Point Lighthouse. At one time there were postcards available of the quilt.
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Local buildings
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Lobster buoys and winter activities seem to the the theme here.
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Local sailing ships are featured in this quilt. Details below:
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Janice made 15" dolls for her granddaughters, a blonde doll for Amanda and a redheaded doll for Hazel. She used the patterns in the book below for inspiration. Janice's artistic talent raised these dolls to a high level.
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Amanda's doll
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Amanda's doll and friend.
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Hazel's doll
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| The dolls had knit hats, dresses, shoes and an ermine trimmed velvet robe. |
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This little pig is from the quilt below.
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| This beautiful crib quilt was made for Hazel. The pigs are dancing around a May Pole. |
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A quilt for Amanda's doll - dancing cats.
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A quilt for Hazel's doll - grazing cows.
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This patchwork heart was hung in Janice and Norms closet.
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2 comments:
Thanks for this lovely post and for bringing it to my attention! Wonderful to see more of the fisherman dolls created by the sewing circle my grandmother and your mother belonged to in Port Clyde. :)
Thank you for your comment!
Angela
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